Is it March yet? Hardly. With the NCAA tournament far in the rearview mirror and Midnight Madness creeping up, USA TODAY Sports examines several story lines for every major conference heading into the 2013-14 college basketball season.

The term "mid-major" gets tossed around loosely in college basketball and oftentimes it's synonymous with common March Madness language such as "Cinderella" and "bracket buster."

Wichita State's Final Four run last season continued a trend of mid-major schools breaking through. George Mason's run in 2006, Davidson's run in 2008, and most recently Florida Gulf Coast's storybook tournament provide memories, sure, but every once in a while we witness a school transform from more than just a one-hit wonder.

For instance, five years ago Butler was a mid-major residing in the Horizon League. Two NCAA championship game appearances later and the Bulldogs have transitioned into the newly-restructured Big East Conference. And Gonzaga's 1999 Elite Eight appearance has spiraled into 15 consecutive tournament appearances. Simply put, a two-week span can change everything.

While the Shockers look to ride the momentum of last season, here's a look at the top power mid-majors with Final Four potential next season, all of them hailing from a separate league.

1. Virginia Commonwealth (Atlantic 10): Shaka Smart's "Havoc" defense proved to be just as agonizing in the Rams' inaugural season in the A-10 after years of causing headaches in the Colonial. VCU loses key players but returns a nucleus of Rob Brandenburg, Treveon Graham and Juvonte Reddic. The team's X-Factor will be Florida State transfer Terrance Shannon, who is immediately eligible and his aggressive style at 6-8 will fit in perfectly with the Rams' up-tempo pace. Size could again be a concern, as it was during the NCAA tournament when Michigan's big men spearheaded a 78-53 rout of VCU. Pressure, of course, will remain the team's calling card after leading the nation in steals (11.7 spg) and forced turnovers (plus 8.0) last season. Atlantic 10 challenger: Saint Louis, last year's champion, will again make it difficult for VCU to walk away as the top team in the conference.

2. New Mexico (Mountain West): Losing a head coach is never easy for a team. But bringing bringing back the Mountain West Player of the Year will make new coach Craig Neal's job will certainly make for a smoother transition after Steve Alford left for UCLA. Kendall Williams (13.3 ppg, 4.9 apg) returns to a balanced New Mexico squad returning most of its core, as does 7-foot center Alex Kirk. The loss of Tony Snell to the NBA hurts, but junior college All-American Deshawn Delaney is a solid replacement. At one point last season the Lobos were in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but garnered a No. 3 and suffered an upset loss to Harvard. That end to last season could provide great motivation, but there will be a handful of challengers in the Mountain West — San Diego State, UNLV, Boise State, Utah State to name a few — that will be trying to take down New Mexico.

3. Louisiana Tech (Conference USA): Louisiana Tech enjoyed a season decorated with 27 wins, a share of the regular-season conference championship and the team's first ranking in the top 25 poll in more than 28 years.Yet one accomplishment was clearly missing: the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs' promising season derailed in the home stretch. They lost four of their final five games, including a stunning upset to Texas-San Antonio in the opening round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament that all but destroyed any storybook endings. Louisiana Tech enters 2013-14 with the same postseason aspirations, bringing back four starters and 11 players who all saw significant time last season. Raheem Appleby (14.9 ppg) returns as the only double-digit scorer on one of the deepest teams in the country. But the path to the NCAAs certainly won't come as easily, as the Bulldogs begin their first year in a newly restructured Conference USA. The good news: Louisiana Tech coach Michael White's veteran-laden group is the most talented and polished in the league, making it the favorite. Still, it's not to be forgotten that Southern Mississippi beat Louisiana Tech in the second round of the NIT. Southern Mississippi, last year's runner-up in C-USA, could again be a thorn in the Bulldogs' side as one of the top challengers in the league despite losing two all-conference players.

4. Wichita State (Missouri Valley): Coach Gregg Marshall will have to reload after losing a great deal of firepower in core seniors Malcolm Armstead and Carl Hall. But keep in mind last year's group was arguably Marshall's least talented team of the past three years and he's continually able to mesh players with diverse backgrounds – junior college transfers, big school transfers, freshmen and key returners – to form dynamic team chemistry. Top player Cleanthony Early (13.9 ppg 5.4 rpg) returns from last year's memorable 30-9 team. The Shockers figure to be the favorite in the Missouri Valley and appear poised to follow the Gonzaga blueprint in reaching the NCAA tournament, and winning, on a yearly basis. If Wichita State is a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in 2014, fans will remember last season. But mistaking this program as a one-hit wonder will lead to bracket shattering. The MVC is hardly the West Coast Conference, though, with 10,000-seat arenas the norm and teams like Indiana State and Northern Iowa making a league title far from easy.

5. Gonzaga (West Coast): For more than a decade, coach Mark Few has piloted one of the best college basketball teams in the country. But the 'Zags broke barriers last season in becoming No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll before garnering a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Yet somehow their season ended just like the previous three: Losing in the round of 32 to Wichita State. Now All-American Kelly Olynyk and four-year starter Elias Harris are gone. But the cupboard is far from bare, as Few returns plenty of pieces to keep the Bulldogs atop the West Coast Conference and in the top-25 conversation. Kevin Pangos (11.9 ppg, 3.3 apg) and Gary Bell Jr. (9.0 ppg) will make for a dangerous backcourt. Picking Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 isn't gutsy, but anything further would certainly go against history. The Bulldogs won't be as good as they were last season, but neither will the rest of the WCC. Saint Mary's will take a step back, but a Tyler Haws-led Brigham Young squad has the potential to challenge the defending champ.

Scott Gleeson, a national college basketball writer/producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.